


Her Turning

by Practicalsome



Series: Another Person [1]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Vampires, fem!spike
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:00:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28331259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Practicalsome/pseuds/Practicalsome
Summary: “They say your wealth lies here,” the  demon girl said, a too cold finger pressing down right above her heart. “And here.” A touch to the center of Will’s forehead. “In the spirit, and the imagination. You walk in worlds others could not even imagine.”“So do you,” Will said, taking a risky step closer to those fangs. “You see what might be, do you not.”This is the start of an AU where Spike was born a genius noblewoman, rather than the upper-middle class poet. They still become the irreverent, sardonic vampire we love, but this time round, smart choices are made. Mostly. Er, sometimes. Okay, occasionally.
Series: Another Person [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2074803
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	Her Turning

Wilhelmina Pratt’s betrothed was chasing her. Not in the fun, get your heart pumping as you dash through the gardens kind of chasing. This was the self-important waddling of an overweight penguin. Will had seen such a penguin before, and the comparison was offensive to the bird.

“Wilhelmina,” the man, Lord Jacquis was saying between panting breaths. “Wait for me.”

Will ignored Jacquis, turning into the estate’s hedge labyrinth, where she could easily disappear. A few turns later, she’d lost him, and gotten herself lost in the process. It was still light however, a few hours until sunset. The dinner party would probably go until midnight at the earliest. 

Will had absolutely no desire to return. Not for another few hours spent trying to eavesdrop on the gentlemens’ conversations on the newest scientific discovery while ignoring the ladylike discussions of household affairs or whose husband appeared unfaithful. It was the former that had seen Jacquis notice her, prompting him to restart his conversation on when their wedding would take place. 

However, Will was free now and she intended to make the most of it. A secret pocket in her skirts was just the right size to hold a book, or few of the smaller newspapers if she could keep them from rustling. It was one of the latter she pulled out then, settling herself on the ground beneath one of the occasional lanterns of the labyrinth and flipping through the newspaper until she reached the economics section.

Using a self filling pen, one of the newest innovations of the time, Will started to work, skimming through the announcements in search of trends: patterns of discoveries and changes in prices that could tell her which of the London Ton would be experiencing a change in fortunes soon. Not that a highborn girl could put the information to use, but maybe, just maybe, she could convince her father that she would serve their family better as a daughter than anothers wife.

“Wilhelmina,” Jacquis said, emerging from a hidden corridor a scant distance away, “there you are.”

“Lord Jacquis,” Will said, subtly tucking the papers back into her skirt. “I thought you had returned to the party.”

“Not without you, my dear,” the man said, “Can you imagine what people might say to hear I had left you out in the dark maze alone.” Indeed, the sun was close to setting by now.

“How very kind,” Will said, biting the word out, “but can you imagine what they would say if we were together.”

“As your betrothed, they would have nothing to say,” Jacquis said, moving to take her arm. “Now come.”

“I am afraid I am still enjoying a breath of fresh air,” Will said, “but I would be happy to rejoin you once I feel better.”

“Ah,” said the odious man, “I had wondered why a lady such as yourself would risk getting dirt on their dress. Shall I send for a medic?”

“No,” Will said, “I just need a bit of silence to regain my usual spirits.”

“Not that,” Jacquis said, entirely missing the point as he began to walk Will back the way he had come. “Now tell me, did you have any further ideas for our wedding.”

“I had one,” Will said, trying to shrug his hand off, “This spring is supposed to be famous for the number of red daisies, I think that having them as a backdrop would be perfect.”

“But spring is seven months away,” Jacquis said, his hand tightening painfully on her arm. 

“You wouldn’t want a slapdash wedding, would you,” Will said, spitting the words out.

“No, never,” Jacquis declared, almost shoving her into one of the hedge walls.

“Then it is decided,” Will said, ducking beneath his arm and hurrying down another path. Thankfully, Jacquis was not quick at the best of times, and was quickly behind her. However, that he had found her once proved that the labyrinth was no safe place to hide. Will began to search for the exit.

Of course, it would never do for a family to shame themselves by creating a maze they could not navigate in their sleep, so Will was back at the entrance within a few minutes. And this time the person waiting for her was welcome.

“Charlotte,” Will said with a smile, “How are you my dear?”

“Better now that I have seen you,” Charlotte said, turning with a swirl of skirts to walk alongside Will as they moved away from the sounds of merrymaking and dining. “Did you enjoy the book I gave you?”

“The effects of time upon the nature of storytelling tradition,” Will clarified, “It was a fascinating read, especially when paired with the dissertation on the nature of Shakespeare’s adaptations of previous works.”

“I haven’t read that one,” Charlotte said, “Do you still have it?”

“Mother found it,” Will said, eliciting a sympathetic noise from her companion.

“Shame,” Charlotte said, “You did take my advice on using a collection of smaller hiding spaces, yes? Especially now that you are soon to leave your family.” The last part was said quietly.

“I always listen to wisdom from you,” Will said, allowing herself to move closer now that the sun had truly fallen.

“You flatter me,” Charlotte said, “Now I must ask, have you anything for me?”

“I’m afraid I’m not carrying a book this time,” Will said, turning to walk along the backside of the labyrinth, “But I do-”

Their conversation was drawn to a sudden halt by the sight before them. Jacquis was slumped against the wall in front of them, an unfamiliar girl pressed up against him. Will’s first impulse had been to turn around, but then she noticed that something was off. The girl was barefoot, her white dressed stained black in places all down her front.

Something must have alerted the two of their audience, for the girl turned to face them, revealing the face of a demon, fangs and yellow eyes set in a face that was subtly wrong in a way nature could never have intended.

Shoving Charlotte behind her, back around the corner, Will spoke, “What are you?”

“Mmmph,” Jacquis said, his words accompanied by a whistling sound that took Will a second to place. It was coming from his open windpipe. It looked as if his entire throat had been ripped out. Getting an answer was no longer the priority. Getting away was.

“Run,” Will said, not daring to look away from the demon. “Charlotte. Go.”

“No need for that,” the demon said, “I’m here for my knight—the stars promised me.”

“The stars?” Will asked, daring a few steps closer, her path taking her by one of the stakes used to manage the hedges growth. It was long, a solid piece of sharpened metal at least a meter long.

“They whisper things to me,” the demon girl admitted, “nice things sometimes, but naughty things too.”

“What do they say about me?” Will asked, pulling the stake out of the ground as the girl tilted her head back to stare at the stars above. Next to her, Jacquis’ body finally slumped to the ground.

“They say your wealth lies here,” the girl said, a too cold finger pressing down right above Will's heart. “And here.” A touch to the center of Will’s forehead. “In the spirit, and the imagination. You walk in worlds others could not even imagine.”

“So do you,” Will said, taking a risky step closer to those fangs. “You see what might be, do you not.” 

That was a complete guess, but it was the nature of mortal to imagine what might happen. From a girl who claimed the stars spoke to her. She would believe Will. She had to.

“The stars tell me you have a spike,” the girl said, still looking up at the sky. “They say one day you will be my spike.”

“Do they,” Will asked, clenching the sharp stake tighter.

“You want that too,” the girl said, “You want to drive spike after spike into the world, pinning it down until it gives up its secrets, one by one.”

“Go on,” Will said, stepping closer, her breaths lifting tendrils of the the demon girl’s hair on the exhale.

“I saw you do it,” the girl said, meeting her eyes for the first time, “I saw you pin down a corner of the world and make it anew, all for me.”

“Did you,” Will said, finally bringing the spike up and shoving the demon back, stake leveled at her throat. “And why would I do that?”

“Because what you desire, only I can offer,” the girl said, voice still dreamy.

“And what is that,” Will asked, inching the stake back.

“Freedom,” the girl said, and lunged forward, around the spike, biting into Will’s neck. 

It hurt, a part of Will noticed, but that faded along with everything else as the demon slid a pointed nail along her own neck, drawing blood. In the next second, Will’s mouth was moved against the cut by an inhuman strength, and she was urged to drink.

Minutes later, her heart beat for the last time.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed, this is the start of a series of one shots that will address how a more intelligent version of Spike might change not Buffy!verse. And not necessarily for the better.  
> Please let me know what you think!


End file.
